NHL fighting: Let the players decide

Oilers' Steve MacIntyre and Leafs' Colton Orr square off last season. Simmons says the timing is right to discuss banning fisticuffs in the NHL and those involved in the game at all levels, should have a say. (Alex Urosevic/QMI AGENCY)

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STEVE SIMMONS, QMI Agency

The time has come for the National Hockey League Players’ Association to poll its membership to determine whether players want fighting to continue in hockey.

And those doing the job, and those most affected by it, deserve a voice in the future of their game.

Where once there would be no need for such a vote because the result would have been obvious and overwhelmingly one-sided, there is a need now. There may even be an appetite for it among the players, especially if it’s done by secret ballot.

The majority of those who play the game professionally have grown up in a culture of hockey that doesn’t just enable fighting, but encourages it. But long before the tragedies of this hockey summer — the deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak — there seemed to be a shift emerging with both players and hockey fans.

It isn’t just about correlating these terrible circumstances. The NHL and the NHLPA plan on investigating that. It’s about removing a danger from the sport. Fighting had become dangerous before anyone died this summer and there is still no tangible evidence that fighting played a part in the deaths of the three NHL enforcers. But the time is right to examine its place in the game. And that examination should begin with the players themselves, who need to have a say in their own futures.

THIS AND THAT

The joint NHL and NHLPA investigation into the three deaths of this hockey summer needs to conducted independently and by those with no affiliation or connection to either the league or the players’ union. Otherwise, it will have little meaning ... The Players’ Association would also be wise to take a long and hard look at the culture of mixing alcohol with prescription medication that is evident within the sport ... We know now that Belak suffered from depression. What we may never know, and may not be entitled to know, is what prompted the leap from depression to suicide ... No one has been harder on the PA over the years than me, but blaming them for the recent deaths is way out of bounds ... Belak was originally drafted by Quebec in 1994, 12th overall, the first pick in a Nordiques draft that included Chris Drury, Milan Hejduk and the multi-award winning goaltender, Tim Thomas. Only two of the players drafted ahead of Belak remain active in the NHL: Ed Jovanovski in Florida and Ryan Smyth in Edmonton ... The six highest-paid Maple Leafs, based on salary cap hit are 1. Dion Phaneuf; 2. Phil Kessel; 3. Tim Connolly; 4. Mike Komisarek; 5. Joffrey Lupul; 6. John-Michael Liles. And by most hockey standards, at least four of them, possibly five, are considered bad contracts. The Kessel contract is fair value for what he does.

HEAR AND THERE

Alex Anthopoulos may be pushing the Jose Bautista-for-MVP campaign but there is little chance the Blue Jays’ slugging outfielder will finish ahead of Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury or pitcher Justin Verlander in the American League voting ... It’s a sure thing that Dustin McGowan will be among the Jays’ September callups, but wouldn’t it be nice if the former pitcher, Adam Loewen, gets the call as well. Two great and very different comeback stories that have yet to play themselves out ... Sometimes, a change of scenery is necessary: Kelly Johnson is hitting .367 with a .472 on base percentage with the Jays since being swapped for Aaron Hill, who has a .355 batting average and .412 on base percentage in Arizona ... Can’t remember a September like this without a real pennant race of any kind, in either league. The only real race, between the Yankees and Red Sox, doesn’t matter. One team finishes first, the other becomes the wild-card team ... If the Philadelphia Phillies play .500 ball the rest of the season, they’ll still end up with 102 wins ... The local kid, Joey Votto, has followed up his MVP season with great numbers again. He won the MVP hitting .324 with 37 homers and 113 RBIs. WIth a month to go, Votto is hitting .323 with 26 homers and 88 RBIs.

SCENE AND HEARD

The former Edmonton Sun sports writer Dick Chubey once wrote: “The only thing more boring than track is field.” It wasn’t true, but it was funny. And it seems particularly relevant considering Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops has won Canada’s first-ever medal in field at the world track and field championships ... If the Saskatchewan Roughriders miss the playoffs by a game or two, they can blame the Chicago Bears. Why the Bears held on to receiver Andy Fantuz until Friday, without giving him any meaningful playing time, is a mystery. Fantuz isn’t eligible to play for Saskatchewan ... An NHL general manager once said of Dustin Byfuglien: “I don’t want a player with bigger (breasts) than my wife.” ... What I love about Twitter: Instant news, instant opinion, quick humour. What I hate about Twitter: The mean-spirited reactions and the vast amount of misinterpretation and context difficulty that seems lacking in a 140-character retort ... Who says we can’t play soccer? We can kick St. Lucia (population 170,000) all over the field ... If Greg Marshal — not the fired guy — has a heart Monday, he will not run up the score too badly on the University of Waterloo football team. A person without heart: Whoever scheduled Waterloo’s return to OUA football, with only nine players of any experience, against the powerhouse from Western ... And the amusing part of the U.S. college schedule goes in mid-September, when troubled Ohio State takes on battered University of Miami. It’s winner take all, which includes Ponzi scheme money, lap dances and tattoos.

AND ANOTHER THING

It doesn’t matter what the subject: I always feel better after I talk to Paul Beeston about it ... The early favourites for the 2020 Summer Olympics: Madrid and Toyko ... Another reason to laugh about the Jays stealing signs: They have a losing record at home. In order to contend in the American League, they need to be at least 15 games over .500 at home ... Not sure how he’s done it, but has anyone rehabilitated his image any better than Mike Tyson. The convicted rapist and career thug has now gone mainstream, doing movie appearances and has just signed on with HBO to work on a boxing series that mirrors his life ... If you didn’t read Steve Buffery’s terrific takeout on what happened to the 1989 national boxing team, find the time, go online and read it at www.torontosun.com/2011/09/01/fighting-drugs-and-death ... Word is that Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Richard Ben Cramer has been contracted to write a biography of Alex Rodriguez, due for release in 2014. This puts A-Rod in some heavy company. Cramer’s two baseball previous biographies were about Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams ... Wanna feel old? Lennox Lewis turned 46 this week. First time I met him was just before the 1984 Olympics. He was a teenager then ...Happy birthday to Daniel Nestor (39), Tom Watson (62), Jim Schoenfeld (59), Doyle Alexander (61), Frank White (61) and Mike Piazza (43) ... And hey, whatever became of Eric Fichaud?

Jim Barker

When coach Jim Barker removed Cleo Lemon at halftime Friday night, it seemed like the right thing to do. Which is strange, considering Lemon had completed 11 of 15 first-half passes for the Argos and had three passes dropped. In other words, he had successfully thrown 14 of 15 balls in the half and got pulled for not having enough yards. Fair enough. But the score was only 13-6 at the half. The game was still in play. After putting backup Dalton Bell in, Barker watched as he threw two terrible interceptions on his first two passes, leading to 10 B.C. points and a 23-6 lead. Why he didn’t pull Bell at that point only he can explain. He left him in for the entire half, for his four interceptions, basically giving his backup quarterback one more chance at the expense of the defeat. First and foremost, Barker is paid to win games. For the first time in two seasons in Toronto, he coached to lose Friday night against the Lions. And that’s inexcusable.

Usain Bolt

The most breathtaking athlete in the world is back on top after a week of controversy and discussion. The track and field world cannot undo the false start disqualification of Usain Bolt in the 100-metres final of the world championships. What it can do is try and make certain this never happens again. Bolt, who bounced back to win the 200 metres on Saturday and should also win gold in the 4X100 relay, is the sport’s calling card. However the rules are made, track has to find a way to not lose its signature performers on the biggest of occasions. When Donovan Bailey won his Olympic gold medal at 100 metres, there were two false starts in his race, the second resulted in a disqualification. Track has to look at going back to a rule that is more fair and less sudden. You can’t change the rule just for one athlete, as large as Bolt may be, but you do need a rule that isn’t so sudden.

No Yards

Every time I watch a CFL game, the one thing that drives me crazy is the no yards rule. Apparently, I am a singular voice on this, but it bothers me nonetheless. I actually like the reason for the rule and the protection of the punt returner. But here’s how I would re-work the rule. If a punt is in the air, the kicking team must give five yards clearance to the return man upon catching the ball. But, if the punt hits the ground or is squibbed, the five yard clearance should be waived. The reason for this: When the ball is the air, the football player isn’t backing away from the play. He’s just aligning himself to make the tackle. But once the punt bounces, and often towards the line of scrimmage, you have naturally aggressive players backing up. And often flags fly when they’re backing up. To me, that’s not a football play and it doesn’t make the game better. I may be alone on this but it strikes me that this is an obvious change that would make the Canadian game better.